The future of history teaching came under sharp focus at the conference of the South African Society for History Teaching in Johannesburg
The theme of the conference of the South African Society for History Teaching was on the future of history teaching in our schools.
The tone was set by Rob Siebörger of the education department of the University of Cape Town in the first talk of the day. “The position and future of history in education” was the topic, and Siebörger gave delegates an interesting view of how perceptions of history have changed over the years and how educators need to be aware of this.
Dave Gear of St Stithians geography department gave a fascinating presentation on how history fits into the human and social sciences and other learning areas. He began by taking a geography topic – the economic and social issues of the former South African homelands – and teaching it through history as a medium of instruction. He then turned the tables and took a historical topic – the types and uses of energy through the ages – and taught it through economic and geographical factors.
The presentation showed clearly that the idea of integrating subjects into learning areas created a positive avalanche of opportunity rather than being a threat to continued interest in that subject. This was followed by a dual presentation on the teaching of local and regional history from the general education and training phase and beyond. It stressed the variety of approaches that are possible and the wealth of experience that can be tapped by even the poorest communities in building the students knowledge and understanding of the discipline of history.
Andrew Moore took one group off to look at the use of computers in the teaching of history in a workshop that involved a hands-on session in the school computer room. The rest of the conference went to a workshop on selling history to pupils as an option subject in schools.
Various ideas were shared and it was pleasing to note that in at least some of the schools represented, history is a subject growing in popularity. It was agreed that the most effective way of persuading pupils to take history was to be an enthusiastic teacher. Two different aspects of assessment within an outcomes-based education (OBE) framework were presented. Michelle Friedman highlighted the dangers of trying to make assessment tasks meaningful without enough care in creating and developing the task so that it had value both as a historical task and to the pupil. Annie van Wyk of Vista University was concerned with the assessment of the history essay objectively within an OBE framework. June Bam, co-ordinator of the social sciences working group and of the history committee of the Ministry of Education, reported on the work of these committees and invited the society to the inaugural meeting of the project in March 2002.
The invitation to be involved in the development of history as a subject in schools was echoed by Jabulani Phelago of the Department of Education.
Anybody interested in joining the South African Society for History Teaching should contact Elize van Eeden at 69 Blackwood Street, Clubview, Centurion 0157 or by e-mail: [email protected]
– The Teacher/M&G Media, Johannesburg, December 2001.